Directed and co-edited by Sam Raimi and written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, Army of Darkness is the third and final film of the Evil Dead trilogy in which Ash Williams has found himself in the Middle Ages where he helps a kingdom fight the undead. The film showcases a man from the 20th Century dealing with different surroundings as he does whatever it takes to return home as well as kill the undead anyway he can. Also starring Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Ted Raimi, and Richard Grove. Army of Darkness is a sprawling yet whimsical film from Sam Raimi.
Set in 1300 A.D. in medieval England, the film revolves around a man in Ash Williams who had been sent to that world through a time portal as he faces off against the evil dead and helps King Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) fight in the hopes he can go home. It’s a film with a simple premise where it picks up where events from the previous leaves off as Ash is considered a prophet that can save the kingdom from the evil dead. The film’s screenplay by Sam and Ivan Raimi play into Ash’s bafflement in his surroundings but is also aware of what is happening where he is tasked by the wise man (Ian Abercrombie) to get the Book of the Dead yet Ash would deal with all sorts of craziness where the leader of the evil dead would form as an evil version of Ash.
Sam Raimi’s direction is definitely ambitious in terms of the period he chooses to set the film as it’s bigger and has a lot more happening in terms of what Ash is dealing with. Shot in soundstages in Hollywood with some scenes shot in the Californian deserts and mountain, the film plays into a sense of a period where Ash is out of place but also a world that is quite primitive and full of conflict. Raimi’s usage of the wide and medium shots establish a lot of the locations in Ash’s surroundings but also in some of the visuals where Ash would often get himself into trouble either by his own means or things beyond his control. The usage of close-ups would play into some of the humor that include a hilarious sequence in which Ash battles the mini-Ashes who try to kill him as it would then lead to a moment where a second Ash would grow into his body to become his nemesis.
The film also has Raimi play into the world of medieval times where it is played for laughs in some respects while it would have this climax that mixes old-school medieval battles with some 20th Century aesthetics courtesy of Ash. There are these moments that are quite comical but also very dark as it play to what is at stake. Even as Ash has to contend with the demons and those that have become possessed where he is aware of the importance of this book that could bring hope to this land and maybe he wouldn’t have to deal with all of that shit ever again. Overall, Raimi creates a thrilling and wild film about a 20th Century man fighting the evil dead in medieval times.
Cinematographer Bill Pope does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with the usage of natural and bright colors for the scenes set in the day to the usage of fire and other stylish lights for the scenes set at night. Editors Bob Murawski and Sam Raimi do amazing work with the editing with its usage of stylish montages, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into the suspense and humor as well as in some of the moments of terror. Production designer Anton Tremblay, with set decorator Michele Poulik and art director Aram Allan, does fantastic work with the look of the castle as well as a few of its interiors as well as the look of the graveyard where the book is found. Costume designer Ida Gearon does nice work with the look of the armor many of the knights wear as well as the clothes that the women wear.
The makeup work of Howard Berger, Camille Calvet, Tony Gardner, Robert Kurtzman, and Gregory Nicotero is great as it doesn‘t just play more into the look of the skeleton army but also the look of the evil dead as well as the evil Ash in his decayed form. Visual effects supervisor William Mesa does brilliant work with the visual effects from the usage of stop-motion animation for the skeletons as well as the way the ghosts and creatures look like during the battle scene. Sound designers Lance Brown and Alan Howarth do superb work with the sound from the way the demons sound as they‘re about to possess someone to the layers of sound mixes in the battle scenes. The film’s music by Joseph LoDuca, with themes by Danny Elfman, is terrific for its orchestral bombast that is filled with sumptuous string and percussion arrangements with Elfman providing the music for the battle march.
The casting by Ira Belgrade is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Angela Featherstone as a woman Ash meets at the place he works at in the 20th Century, Patricia Tallman as the possessed witch, Timothy Patrick Quill as a blacksmith that likes Ash, Bridget Fonda in a cameo appearance as Ash’s old girlfriend Linda, and Ted Raimi in a trio of performances as a cowardly knight, a villager, and a co-worker of Ash in the 20th Century. Richard Grove is terrific as Duke Henry the Red as an adversary of Lord Arthur who is accused of causing trouble only to be aided by Ash. Ian Abercrombie is superb as the wise man as a variation of Merlin who sees as Ash as the prophet that would help him while giving Ash specific instructions of how to stop the evil dead.
Marcus Gilbert is excellent as Lord Arthur as a variation of King Arthur who is unsure about Ash until he realizes that Ash is the one that he needs to battle the evil dead. Embeth Davidtz is amazing as Sheila as the sister of a deceased knight who isn’t keen on Ash at first but falls for him where she is baffled by his own custom as Davidtz gets a chance to be very funny when her character becomes possessed. Finally, there’s Bruce Campbell in an incredible performance as Ash Williams and the evil version of Ash where Campbell brings that smarmy sense of fun into his role in the former as well as a weight of melancholy while also camping it up a bit as the evil Ash that includes some moments where he gets to chew the scene for all it’s worth.
Army of Darkness is a remarkable film from Sam Raimi that features a sensational performance from Bruce Campbell. Featuring some dazzling visual effects, a killer climax, and lots of humor, it’s a film that manages to be more than just a horror-comedy but also a film where it’s about killing the evil dead. In the end, Army of Darkness is a marvelous film from Sam Raimi.
Sam Raimi Films: (It’s Murder!) - (Clockwork) - (Within the Woods) - The Evil Dead - (Crimewave) - Evil Dead II - (Darkman) - (The Quick and the Dead) - (A Simple Plan) - (For Love of the Game) - (The Gift (2000 film)) - Spider-Man - Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man 3 - (Drag Me to Hell) - (Oz the Great and Powerful) - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Raimi and Sam Spiegel, Evil Dead II is a remake/sequel to the 1981 film The Evil Dead which was about a group of college kids going into a cabin in the woods where they find a mysterious book that unleashes demons from beyond the grave. The film is a parody of sorts of the horror film where it picks up where the last film left off as well as recreate events from the first for a more humorous approach. Starring Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, and Richard Domeier. Evil Dead II is a crazy yet exhilarating film from Sam Raimi.
The film is the story of a man trying to deal with the demons he had survived against where a group of people enter this cabin only to cause more chaos where a woman has the key that might stop these demons. It’s a film that sort of picks up where its predecessor left off yet it also delves more into the mysteries that is this mysterious book known as Book of the Dead. Notably as the people who had uncovered its text and the trouble it causes where its protagonist Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) has to deal with these mysterious demons as well as the living dead.
The film’s screenplay by Sam Raimi and Sam Spiegel starts off with a short remake of the events in the first film where Ash is with his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) only for things to go wrong and he survives as well as reveal what happened to him at the end of the first film. Then the narrative changes where Ash is trying to survive and deal with the demons while the daughter of the professor who was the one that uncovered the text of the book arrives with more pages that could be the key to end it all. Ash and the woman Annie (Sarah Berry) work together to deal with the demons as well as the chaos that surrounds them.
Raimi’s direction definitely maintains the same visual style and manic energy of its predecessor but he is also give a slightly bigger budget where he allows to do a whole lot more. In some aspects, the look and feel of the film is more polished but it’s also quite comical at times. Notably in the fact that there’s an element of camp in some of the performances but also in the way the horror is portrayed where it is over-the-top in terms of its gore where gallons of blood and such would spray onto Ash whenever he defeats or defies the demons. Shot on location in North Carolina, the film has this naturalistic yet chilling feel in the way it is presented where Raimi’s usage of wide and medium shots play into the locations. There is also an intimacy in the usage of the latter along with some close-ups that add to some of the dark yet comical approach of the film. Especially in a sequence where Ash fights against his own demonic hand which he had cut off as it has this nice mixture of horror and comedy.
The direction also plays with the rhythm of suspense in how the moments of terror is built as well as the fact that many of the conventions of the genre are used where it knows where it is going. Some of it is played for laughs while some of it is for shock yet Raimi understands that there are these moments where the characters in the film know what to do but also what not to do as some just don’t follow the rules. The film’s climax that is set inside the cabin is definitely gruesome but it also plays into the mystical aspects of resurrection where it does have its downside. It also play into the idea of legends and the need for redemption in the hands of Annie whose father was the one that uncovered the messages from the book that eventually led to his own death. That role of redemption is also something Ash has to play as well as something bigger where he would accept his own destiny. Overall, Raimi creates a thrilling yet whimsical film about a guy fighting off demons with a chainsaw and a shotgun.
Cinematographer Peter Deming does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography in creating some unique lighting schemes and moods to play into the chilling scenes set at night for its interior and exterior scenes with some naturalistic usage of light for the few scenes set in the day. Editor Kaye Davis does amazing work with the editing with its usage of stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the horror and comedy as well as a few transitional dissolves to introduce new characters. Art directors Randy Bennett and Philip Duffin, with set decorator Elizabeth Moore, do fantastic work with the look of the cabin that look a bit bigger as well as the look of Ash‘s Oldsmobile car.
Special makeup designer Mark Shostrum does brilliant work with the look of the demons and the people who become possessed as it has this look of decay and terror. Sound editor David West does nice work with the sound as it play into that air of terror and suspense as well as some of the film‘s dark humor. The film’s music by Joseph LuDuca is superb for its orchestral based score as it play into the suspense and horror that is prevalent throughout the film as well as few pieces for its comedy.
The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from Lou Hancock as Annie’s mother, Ted Raimi as the demonic version of Annie’s mother, John Peaks as Annie’s father who would uncover the text that would cause a lot of trouble, Richard Domeier as Annie’s boyfriend Ed Getley as this associate professor who accompanies Annie with the found text that can stop the chaos, and Denise Bixler as Ash’s girlfriend Linda who would become possessed early in the film as she becomes the thing that would humanize him in case he becomes possessed. Kassie DePaiva is wonderful as Bobby Joe as a local woman who would have a chilling encounter with the demons while Dan Hicks is terrific as Bobby Joe’s boyfriend Jake who freaks out and tries to take matter into his own hands.
Sarah Berry is excellent as Annie Knowby as a professor’s daughter who tries to fix the chaos that her father did as well as make sense of all of the craziness that is happening. Finally, there’s Bruce Campbell in a tremendous performance as Ash Williams as an ordinary man whose encounters with demons forces him to take action with a shotgun and a chainsaw while providing that element of camp into his performance that makes it so fun to watch.
Evil Dead II is a magnificent film from Sam Raimi that features a sensational performance from Bruce Campbell. It’s a film that manages to blend horror, suspense, and comedy into something very special and fun as it isn’t afraid to be campy nor refusing to take itself so seriously. It’s got a nice soundtrack, an amazing supporting cast, dazzling visuals, and lots of gore. In the end, Evil Dead II is a spectacular film from Sam Raimi.
Sam Raimi Films: (It’s Murder!) - (Clockwork) - (Within the Woods) - The Evil Dead - (Crimewave) - (Darkman) - Army of Darkness - (The Quick and the Dead) - (A Simple Plan) - (For Love of the Game) - (The Gift (2000 film)) - Spider-Man - Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man 3 - (Drag Me to Hell) - (Oz the Great and Powerful) - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
© thevoid99 2016
